Rheinmetall developed the carbine at the very end of the war for the Primitive Waffen program which was intended to arm the Volkssturm (a militia unit). Chambered in 7.92×33 Kurz the carbine has a simple two-lug rotating bolt.

Rheinmetall prototype carbine replica (Matthew Moss)

It’s a handy little rifle and quite pleasant to shoot, the 7.92 Kurz chambering would have made it ideal for poorly trained Volkssturm members thrust into the fighting on the Eastern Front. The carbine, however, was never fielded and only a handful were built.

We’ll discuss the development, design and history of the rifle in an upcoming full-length video, so stay tuned for that!

Correction:

The carbine was originally described as a replica of an ErmaWerke Volkssturm Carbine when in fact it is largely based on a Volkssturm carbine prototype captured at Rheinmetall’s factory at the end of the war. While both the Ermawerke and Rheinmetall carbines are chambered in 7.92mm Kurz and share a number of similarities they are distinct designs.

This is explained in our full video and blog on the Rheinmetall Volkssturm carbine here.